Destination Wedding Planning Advice with Kelly Strong ​Events

The process of planning your wedding day can be overwhelming, stressful, and incredibly daunting, but it can also be a time to connect with your partner, a creative outlet and a really enjoyable experience for you both! (Cake tasting anyone?!) Another way to ensure having a smoother ride leading up to and on your wedding day is by working with a professional wedding planner.  

Kelly Strong of Kelly Strong Events has been incredibly generous in sharing some of her best tips for making the most of your wedding and the planning process! I hope this helps with your planning no matter what stage you are in and please feel free to ask any questions you might have in the comments below!

Let’s Talk Wedding Planning!

Your Name: Kelly Strong

Business Name: Kelly Strong Events

Website: https://kellystrongevents.com/

Social Media Links: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest

Where is your home base?  Scotia, New York (between Albany and Saratoga Springs)

Do you travel for weddings? Yes! At least half of my weddings per year are technically “destination”.

What types of planning services do you offer? Full-Service Design and Planning and Month-Of Coordination

How would you describe your design aesthetic? Classic, elegant, romantic

How do you become inspired when working with couples? Learning as much as I can about them! About their relationship, their life together, favorite things, preferences, personal style, etc. The more I know about them, their story and what matters to them, the more unique of a wedding I can design.

What do you recommend couples do to maximize their wedding budget? The biggest factor that will impact your budget is the guest count. Each line item is impacted by the guest count so you if you’re willing to keep the count down, you’ll be able to do more with your budget.

What is something you wished couples knew when planning their wedding? Use Pinterest with caution! It’s a great source of inspiration and a way to show your preferences but you don’t want your wedding to be a direct copy of something you’ve already seen online. If you’re working with a designer, you hired them for a reason so trust they will bring your vision to life. The same goes for the vendors you’re working with – trust them to do the job you hired them to do and you’ll have a unique and special day.

Do you have any tips for couples just starting the planning process? Sit together and dream up your big day together before you jump into the planning. Consider what the most important things are for each of you – is it the location, the venue, the entertainment, the food – what is going to drive your day? Have your priorities set before you start looking at contracting your venue or vendors.

What are some challenges that a wedding planner can help with? The list is long! But here are a few of the big ones:

• Planners will recommend trusted vendors that align with your personalities and style preferences. I provide my clients with a list of the vendors that would be the best fit in each category. You need to hire quality, reputable vendors in order to ensure that your day is a true success. Once you’ve chosen your team of partners, we assist with contract review and revisions before you sign the contract. This removes all of the time and stress that comes from searching for vendors, vetting them, and contracting them.
• You’ll work with at least 8-10 vendors (and sometimes more!) which means there are a lot of logistics to coordinate and many moving pieces. I create comprehensive documents to make sure everyone is working off the same timeline (setup, day-of, and teardown) and will ensure that everyone is where they should be throughout the day.
• Wedding Day timeline creation – one of the biggest parts of my job is creating an optimal wedding day timeline. The goal is for it to be as relaxed and as stress-free as possible. The only thing you and your family should be worried about is enjoying yourselves! We offer advice for adjustments you can make that will lend itself to an even better day, one where you’re not rushing around unnecessarily.
• Your wedding planner is your advocate! You probably don’t plan weddings or events every day, I do! I’m here to advise you on all aspects of your wedding – from etiquette and style to handling any tough conversations that need to be had– I’m here to help however I can.

Anything else you would like to add? I can’t stress enough the importance of working with good people! Work with vendors that not only do great work but those that your personalities are a match as well. It will create an amazing planning experience and beautiful wedding day.

Thank you so much Kelly for sharing such great advice! If you are looking for a wedding planner for your big day, I highly recommend reaching out to Kelly!